The legislation signs into state law that college tuition and fees be waived for certain children who have been in the foster care of the state or in the legal custody of a New Mexico Indian nation, tribe or pueblo or the United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Human Services.

“This piece of legislation is very important to the people of New Mexico. Foster children need to know they are remembered, and not forgotten,” Munoz said. “They deserve every opportunity that other children have and should not suffer the consequences of lacking the financial means to pursue their higher education should they desire to do so. The credit should be given to those from the New Mexico Child Advocacy Networks (NMCAN), who helped me get this bill through the legislature. Their efforts and their will to advocate for the needs of these kids are what drives important issues like these to the forefront of our state’s government.”

Krystal Goolsby, a Youth Advocate Fellow with NMCAN, said she was thankful to Sen. Munoz for his work.

“Thanks to Sen. Munoz, New Mexico has adopted one of the best tuition waiver programs in the nation,” Goolsby said. “He had the opportunity to be heard in the legislative process, and change our own lives and the lives of young people for generations to come.”

The bill states that the Higher Education Department will work with the entities involved to inform students of the opportunities this bill offers.